Cover image courtesy of Sportpix
G1 Schweppes All Aged S., $600,000, 1400m
A barnstorming finish from Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) saw him add a second Group 1 to his resume - last year's G1 Doncaster H. winner having run a great race in this year's edition of that same race.
One of the 58 stakes winners for his sire, a multiple Group 1-winning former Darley shuttler, Cascadian is a Godolphin homebred. He is the first foal for the G3 UAE Oaks winner Falls Of Lora (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}), also dam of the G1 Woodbine Summer S. winner Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Falls Of Lora is one of the four stakes winners produced by the Listed Prix des Sablonnets winner Firth Of Lorne (Ire) (Danehill {USA}) - also dam of the dual Group winner Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the Listed winners Latharnach (USA) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Etive (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}).
Firth Of Lorne's dam is the G3 Cherry Hinton S. winner Kerrera (Ire) (Diesis {GB}), ancestress of another eight stakes winners.
G1 Moet & Chandon Champagne S., $500,000, 1600m
She's Extreme (Extreme Choice) was just too tough turning the tables on the short-priced favourite Fireburn (Rebel Dane) who just couldn't quite get there in her attempt to become part of Triple Crown history.
It was a deserved success for the filly who had been game chasing Fireburn at her two outings since winning the G3 Magic Night S.
Bred by Aquis Farm and purchased by trainer Anthony Cummings for $275,000 at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, she is one of just 28 foals from her Newgate Farm-based sire's second crop. That makes it two crops for two Group 1-winning juveniles on the back of last year's G1 Golden Slipper S. win for Stay Inside (Extreme Choice).
She's Extreme is the second live foal for the G2 WA Derby runner-up and G3 WA Oaks placegetter Keysbrook (So Secret), a dual city winner whose first foal is the four-time winner (from 14 starts) Ruru (So You Think {NZ}) - a Sandown winning member of the Chris Waller stable.
Served last spring by Astern (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) with her previous foal being a Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar) filly who sold for $45,000 as a weanling and $150,000 as a Magic Millions Perth yearling, Keysbrook is a half-sister to the Listed Mona Lisa S. winner Brasileira (Commands) from the family of stakes winners Le Mans (Quest For Fame {GB}), Jorda (Exceed And Excel), Espaaniyah (I Am Invincible), Detours (Ad Valorem {USA}), Aichi (Strategic), Kinshachi (Commands) and Hioctdane (Strada).
She's Extreme is one the three stakes winners and the first Group 1 winner bred on a 4 X 4 two male-line cross of Danehill (USA) (Danzig {USA}).
G3 ACY Securities Frank Packer Plate, $160,000, 2000m
Specked at odds having just her second Australian run, the former New Zealander, Verona (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}), got a nice break in the run home - one which her rivals were unable to bridge.
Twice finishing fourth in stakes races in New Zealand, the daughter of Haunui Farm's shuttler who was last season crowned New Zealand's Champion First Season Sire was bred by Don Pye and Dame Wendy Pye and purchased for just NZ$8000 by Cypress Point Farms at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale.
Her multiple Group 1-winning sire's seventh stakes winner, Verona is a half-sister to the handy Hong Kong galloper Cheer Win (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) out of the unplaced Spamalot (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) who died last winter - her final foal being a filly by U S Navy Flag (USA) (War Front {USA}).
The 554th stakes winner line-bred to Blushing Groom (Fr) (Red God {USA}) within five generations, Verona - who also carries multiple Mr Prospector (USA) (Raise A Native {USA}) strains - is a descendant of the wonderful mare Maybe Mahal (Maybe Lad), ancestress of another 10 stakes winners.
G3 Mostyncopper James H B Carr S., $160,000, 1400m
Espiona (Extreme Choice) made it a memorable day for her Newgate Stud-based sire, racing away to a big win on the back of She's Extreme's success in the G1 Champagne S. - the previous race.
Bred by Torryburn Stud and Frank Cook, she was purchased for $190,000 by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is the first foal for the lightly raced, Warwick Farm winner Dahooil (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) who Chris Waller purchased as a yearling for NZ$340,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka. She produced a colt by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) last spring, sadly passing away a couple of months ago.
Dahooil is one of six winners (from as many to race) for Pretty (NZ) (Pins), also dam of the Listed winners Bonny O'Reilly (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) and Pretty To Sea (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).
Pretty's Group 3-placed dam Escada (NZ) (Centaine) produced the dual Group 1 winners Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}) and Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) whose grandson Forgot You (NZ) (Savabeel) won two Group 2 features last spring.
Espiona is a great advertisement for female line-breeding, bred on a 4 X 4 cross of Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}) and a 7 X 6 cross of Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}).
G3 TAB Hall Mark S., $160,000, 1200m
Squeezing through the tightest of gaps to record the eighth success of his chequered career Kementari (Lonhro) - who returned to racing gelded after proving subfertile - increased his prizemoney tally to beyond $2.6 million.
One of the great Lonhro's (Octagonal {NZ}) 94 stakes winners, the Darley homebred is out of the Sandown winner Yavanna (Redoute's Choice) who has also produced the Listed Lonhro Plate-winning, New Zealand-based stallion Teleperion (Street Cry {Ire}).
Served last spring by Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) having foaled a filly by that stallion in early September, Yavanna is a daughter of the dual Group 3 winner Wild Queen (Loup Sauvage {USA}) whose daughter Varda (Lonhro) won the Listed Chief de Beers H.
Boasting crosses of Sir Ivor (USA) (Sir Gaylord {USA}), Nureyev (USA) (Northern Dancer {Can}), Relic (USA) (War Relic {USA}) and Never Bend (USA) (Nasrullah {Ire}), Kementari hails from the same branch of the prolific Denise's Joy (Seventh Hussar {Fr}) family as the Hong Kong Group 1 winner Sterling City (Nadeem) and the recent G2 Alister Clark S. winner Prix De Turn (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}).
G3 Sharp Extensive It JRA Plate, $160,000, 2000m
It takes a pretty good mare to win 11 races and Polly Grey (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}) is certainly a good one - this runaway victory her sixth success at stakes level.
Bred by C.B Perry, she is one of her Cambridge Stud-based sire's 43 stakes winners. Her dam is the Metropolitan winner Allanah (NZ) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}) who sadly had no luck at stud - producing three dead foals before passing away in 2019.
She was one of five winners produced by the winner Blue Heaven (NZ) (Centaine), also dam of the G1 Easter H. winner Pasta Post (NZ) (Postponed {USA}) and the G3 Hawke's Bay Gold Cup winner Don Domingo (NZ) (Don Eduardo {NZ}).
This is the family of the G1 English 2000 Guineas winner Mystiko (USA) (Secreto {USA}) whilst further back she can count Pierro (Lonhro) amongst her relations.
